The Profession Book
A Book as a Relic
Between 803 and the 11th century, monks who were literate wrote their vows in the profession book themselves when they were accepted into the monastic community. After a period of preparation as novices, the monks would make a solemn profession, whereby they promised never to leave the monastery, to turn their backs on the world and to obey their abbot.
The profession book contains the vows of the monks of St Gall since the foundation of their monastery by Otmar. It is the only surviving book of this kind dating from the Early Middle Ages. For its contemporary entry on the martyrdom of Wiborada on 1 May 926 the book became a relic.